England's Indian Summer - T20s, ODIs & Tests

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Off goes Rahul...at least he doesn't waste a review ! That was stone dead.
Jimmy on course for ten ?

Rahane in next as Kohli was off the field too long...

They didn't hang around, and England are now narrow favourites. Ooh, I say.

Moeen gets another wicket - Ashwin with a quite frankly ridiculous shot!

In other news James Vince has just been caught out at slip, for 26, playing the drive...

Moeen the wrecker !

Awful attempt at a reverse sweep (why ??!! ) from Ashwin.

Seven down and Pujara being let down by his mates...

Moeen bowling England into contention and Rashid out of the side.

Shami gone first ball

Mo on a hat trick...

How quickly it changes...

It's the Moeen & Curran show. Curran gets the key man Kohli out, which starts the Indian batting collapse, aided by Moeen.

Ishant did well to save the HT , and hit one for a useful boundary. Not much of a bat , but a gutsy cricketer

Forty five behind now...with only Bumrah to follow , India will be hoping these two can add a few...

Get Rashid on from the other end to Moeen I reckon

England’s bowlers yet again keeping them in a test - hopefully for once the batsmen come off. Huge opportunity for them to not only kill off the test with this third innings, but also any hopes India have of winning the series

Ishant is a decent batter. But what a turnaround. I was sort of expecting that England might lose this series with India, but I wasn't expecting the batting to be so weak.

Ishant continuing to play shots...England not quite sure where to place the fielders .

Anderson playing the role of a pitch short stock bowler ...unusual

Pujara declining singles...bit of a stalemate. Think I'd bring Broad back to try and finish this.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Get Rashid on from the other end to Moeen I reckon

England’s bowlers yet again keeping them in a test - hopefully for once the batsmen come off. Huge opportunity for them to not only kill off the test with this third innings, but also any hopes India have of winning the series

Not too surprised the bowlers have fought back...there is enough in this pitch to encourage them , and India's bats (apart from Kohli) aren't all that , in English conditions.
Pujara is playing well though and could yet buy a lead. England don't do this "cut off the tail" too well , when a batsman is left with a rabbit.

Looking like a second innings shoot out anyway.

Here's Rashid...

Yep, we're heading for a one-innings shootout. Once again, England's bowlers are undoing the rubbish served up by the batters.

Fine short leg catch by Cook ends Ishant's useful knock...

Five for Moeen

Won't begrudge Pujara a hundred - if he gets it.  Doubt he will trust Bumrah to face many...

Two gets him to 99...

Lbw review ? Rather hopeful ! Don't think that was even close...

And he gets a fine century

Well played.

So an Indian collapse rivaling any England have been managing in recent times. The test match that has been their's to lose, is nearly lost. Batting 4th on this track will not be easy, so a good first innings was so very important. The top 6 all got in, but other than Pujara, nobody played that decisive knock that would have given India that crucial first innings lead.
Now the bowlers will have to produce some magic to save this one.

Superb century for Pujara and very well deserved.

Jasprit Bumrah happens to be the presiden of the Chris Martin batting fan club! So can't expect him to score a ton and save the team here!

Think I'd have got Rashid off with Bumrah on strike then...fancy a fast bowler to clean him up.

Going to be more or less level on first innings , it seems.

Cheteshwar Pujara would never give you the Virat Kohli like assurance overseas. But the 72 in the last innings has given him confidence, he batted with lots of discipline to score a good hundred. Think it is his first hundred away from the subcontinent in nearly 5 years.

Like Virat Kohli, Pujara is also finally turning it around in England. Like the skipper, it was a horrendous series that he had in 2014, then he got dropped for the first test, found strange and silly ways to get out in the first 3 innings when he got a chance, rode his luck a bit in that knock of 72, and at last, here he is...

Tail wagging a bit for India after the all rounders flopped. Even Bumrah has survived a few balls...

May be a lead for India yet ?

What an effort from Bumrah! He has doubled his test tally in just this one single innings!!

Curran back on. Couple of overs late , I think...and Pujara is on strike now.

England will be a little frustrated by these last two wickets yielding forty odd runs...but after being 86/6 yesterday I guess being more or less level on first innings is a result .

Still got to get this wicket...

So England back to their seamers... Right move, a bit late if anything. Should have had Moeen from one end and Stokes or Curran from the other.

Wow brilliant from Bumrah, survives an entire over from Broad... The veteran seamer missing a trick, not attacking the stumps enough.

Hmm, India into the lead!

Every run of absolute importance. This is going to be a tight contest, just like the first test.

Advantage narrowly with England because India have to bat last. When they bat, will the English top order finally stand up?

msp83 wrote:So England back to their seamers... Right move, a bit late if anything. Should have had Moeen from one end and Stokes or Curran from the other.

I agree . Rashid was worth trying ; but he didn't look hugely threatening.

India into the lead...they'd be hoping for more than this though.

Think England gave up a chance of a modest lead by being too negative in bowling to Pujara once he was left with the rabbits. They always do it ; and it almost never works.

Last two pairs have added fifty six now.

Curran not quite getting it right. Bowling too wide to Pujara to deny the single and giving away easy extra runs.

Jeepers ...Moeen!
What is it with India and him on English pitches? They just cant help imploding

This series has lacked quality but theres at least been some seriously dramatic gamed with unexpected twists.

Pujara played 6 games for Yorkshire and averaged 14 with a high score of 41 this season. Then goes and produces this! Great knock.

careful with this india lead, thats three of our top order gone before we catch it already

Duty281 wrote:Every run of absolute importance. This is going to be a tight contest, just like the first test.

Advantage narrowly with England because India have to bat last. When they bat, will the English top order finally stand up?

I'd say 50/50 , given the batting frailties we've seen.

I don't think much to "momentum" ...but the fact that India have gained a lead , after looking all but done fifty runs behind , must give them a bit of encouragement. And they have Ashwin.

England's last 2 wickets added 69, India's have so far managed 62.

Rashid must need to produce as England bowl again if he’s to keep his place? Mo getting runs and bowling excellently is surely a chance for England to sneak in another bat up the order? Or does Woakes come in and we see if we can play only people doing two jobs?

That’ll be why Jennings got a bowl, double duty for everyone

Ashwin's going to be in a real pressure situation for the first time in the series. Like Kohli and Pujara, he had to rectify his overall record in England that in itself was a bit of pressure, but after India not for the first time surrendered to Moeen Ali's offspin, the world's current best offie has a job to do here to save his side. The expectations on Ashwin will be really high this time round.
The seamers have done a decent job for India so far in the game, but would Sir Ravi Jadeja have made a difference?

alfie wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Every run of absolute importance. This is going to be a tight contest, just like the first test.

Advantage narrowly with England because India have to bat last. When they bat, will the English top order finally stand up?

I'd say 50/50 , given the batting frailties we've seen.  

I don't think much to "momentum" ...but the fact that India have gained a lead , after looking all but done fifty runs behind , must give them a bit of encouragement.  And they have Ashwin.

I'd go for 55-45 in England's favour, but it's depleting as Pujara clubs India's lead past 20.

alfie wrote:And hi to guildford ...welcome back.  You'd be happy to see how well Surrey are doing !

Take your point re Foakes.  But I fear his hopes have all but disappeared with Smith taking control of selection : he has been pretty clear that he intends to instal Buttler firmly in the side one way or another ...and I don't think that leaves room for another keeper...

Cheers, Alfie. Yep, Surrey doing very well in the one I want.

Tend to agree with you about the bleakness of Foakes' Test future. I'm not into giving Test caps out of sympathy but it'll be very tough on Foakes if he never gets one.

I'm far from convinced by Smith. By way of example - it does seem a throwback to the '90s to pick a youngster like Pope, play him out of his usual position and then drop him after 3 knocks.

Meanwhile, Jennings surely only has one innings left to be spared the axe. But then who replaces him? Burns? Possibly but it's a choice that has been veered away from for a long time.

England - forever failing at knocking off the tail cheaply

compelling and rich wrote:careful with this india lead, thats three of our top order gone before we catch it already

getting towards going through middle order now

Bumrah now exposed to the new ball. Don't think this is now going to last much. But a fine job done by Bumrah, and Pujara making the support from Bumrah count.

Lead up to 24

In a low scoring game , that may be handy. I think India are edging ahead here ...especially if they can grab an England wicket or two tonight.

Disappointing bowling from Curran here not making the rabbit play...

Fairly terrible over that by Curran. Make him play!

Is Root sleepwalking through this? Where is Anderson?

Thought it should have been Anderson instead of Broad when the latter had come on. But this is beyond ridiculous unless England's led seamer is facing some fitness concerns.

Rubbish bowling and captaincy. As per usual, at the last knockings of an innings, England are waiting for a false shot, rather than trying to get the batsman out.

25 is a handy lead - good 8 or so overs of England batting just to get parity.

Another teist...its usually england that have these last stand game changing partnerships.

Looking at the weather it could be decent batting conditions tomorrow at least.

Could end up fifty in front at this rate...

Though then they probably won't get to bowl at England tonight.

Does seem bizarre sometimes , this game : eight out for under 200 and then the last man seems to be channeling Dravid

Can Stokes come on for one more short spell? If Broad gets a wicket here, it has to be against the run of play, he just doesn't look like taking a wicket. Anyways, working well for India.

How did Pujara exactly not get selected for the first Test? This guy is a proven run scorer, granted he's more comfortable in Asian conditions, but he's showing here the value of an old fashioned test number 3.